From sanitation to agriculture, from complex environmental issues to exemplary solutions, various water-related topics are addressed at the 5th World Water Forum – being held in Istanbul, Turkey, until next Sunday (22) – fertile grounds for the development of new ideas.

Hydroelectricity, of course, could not be left out. A member of the Brazilian delegation present at the event, Antonio Otélo Cardoso, Itaipu’s executive technical director, is keeping a close eye on everything.

One of the debates has drawn Cardoso’s attention the most: “Water for power and power for water”. According to the director, the basic idea is the fact that water depends on power to be taken to where it is necessary. “The same way that waters generates power, it also needs its own power to get to people”, he summed up.

Water and power under the same management

According to Cardoso, among the attendees there are groups pro and against hydropower plants. “But everyone acknowledges that water, essential for survival and still scarce in many places, is the prevailing theme for sustainable development”, he highlighted. “Another consensus is that, considering the bond between water and power, there is a trend to guide policies so that both are managed by the same governmental administrative agency”, he pointed out.